at making round cakes.... 
I do great on my sheet cakes, but round ones just kill me! I wanted so badly to make one for my MIL this weekend and WOW her. Unfortunately, it just didn't turn out how I'd planned. I had issues with one layer getting stuck to the bottom of the pan. Then, the DH butter golden cake mix for some reason baked the cake to where the tops were "crispy" in the middle. 
WTH was up with that?
So...I had to level it and I suck at leveling....I tried using the string method..and it pulled pieces of the cake up as i pulled the string thru.. 
I've tried the small Wilton leveler and it sucked, too. If I use a large knife that doesn't go all the way across the pan, I tend to slant the knife.
So... the cake wasn't completely level....and I just was so dissapointed in how it came out.....what am I doing wrong?????? 
I suck at leveling cakes too! I just put just a little more batter in the pans then what you are suppose to so that the cake will rise all the way to the top of the pan, but not pour out during baking. And when the cake is done, I leave it in the pan and put a kitchen towel over the top of it and put a wooden cutting board on top of that and it "smushes" the cake down and makes it more level.
You could also try the flower nail trick. Put a (metal) flower nail upside down in the center of the pan and this helps the cake bake more evenly. Good luck and remember practice makes perfect!!
The flower nail always works pretty well for me too. And I hear you on the levelling...HORRIBLE. I always end up a cussing mess when I have to cut a cut.
I'm about to invest in the Agbay cutter thingie so I don't have those problems anymore...hope it helps!
And don't even get me started on the stupid, worthless, POS Wilton levelers!!!
So I was looking for a pic and didn't see one...I'm assuming you didn't post it because you hated it?
Nah you dont suck! You just gotta find the method that works for you...also it seems sometimes that the cake-force is just against us! lol...I truly love my large wilton leveler...some here have problems with it however...but you might want to try it. Honestly tho every time that I feel pressure wanting to REALLY wow someone this kinda thing happens to me...so try to take a deep breath and walk away for a minute then try again...it that doesnt work,...give me the cake...I am hungry?
The wilton bake even strips also work... you might want to try those. The cake release they make is also a great product 
It's just the right combination of everyone figuring out what works best for them! good luck!
well I think the small wilton leveler works great! The large one, not so great. But first of all i do use the bake even strips and flower nails on 3 inch deep pans or larger pans. When they come out of the oven I press down on the tops to make them more level. But almost ALWAYS I still level them anyway. Especially white cakes because I dont like the way the brown "skin" looks when it is cut LOL!
Personally I have the small Wilton leveler and it works great for me. One thing you might try too, if you're getting an uneven cake is to turn the curt side down and use the part that was in the pan. Helps with crumbs too. I have always use the Pilsbury spray with flour and I've never had a cake stick or crumble when removing it. I've even used really old scratched, messed up pans, and it works great every time. Even worked in my old crappy cupcake pans. I ran out of cupcake wrappers so I just use the spray and made the cupcakes right in the pan. Flipped out, no problem.
The flower nail always works pretty well for me too. And I hear you on the levelling...HORRIBLE. I always end up a cussing mess when I have to cut a cut.
I'm about to invest in the Agbay cutter thingie so I don't have those problems anymore...hope it helps!
And don't even get me started on the stupid, worthless, POS Wilton levelers!!!
So I was looking for a pic and didn't see one...I'm assuming you didn't post it because you hated it?
More like "embarassed" of it.... And I also bake them high enough to smoosh them down...but this particular mix made them "crispy" in the middle (just the very top)..so, I HAD to cut it off....stupid cake mix... 
it that doesnt work,...give me the cake...I am hungry?
LMBO 
I may be embarassed of it, but I still wanna eat it!!! LOL Thanks for all of the advice to all of you. I do use the Wilton pans and the Crisco flour spray and haven't had one stick until now. I think it's just one of those "bad cake days". 
I'm gonna wait till next week and try again....I promise I'll post it...no matter how horrible it may look.
I think you should try the bake-even strips too. They really help. And someone else mentioned flipping the cake and using the pan side as the top of the cake. I've had to do that on more than one occasion. You just need to relax and take things slowly. You'll find the method that works for you. I own that wilton level thing and it's now collecting dust in my cabinet...I hate it. I finally just started using a knife and going slowly. Sometimes it takes a couple of tries before I really get it level, but if you start out with a shallow slice and then adjust it as you see fit, you should be fine.
Mickig
i can't cut straight either. I end up using frosting to level my cakes most of time, depending on what the decorations are. There's usually someone who wants the piece with lots of frosting!
Well the bake strips work well....as for the crusting in the middle I don't know what to tell you but sounds like you got a bad cake mix! But I second everyone else that says turn the cake upsidedown!!! There are times I do this and if the top is uneven and leaves space between the board and cake then I just put extra icing where the space is and go from there....If that makes any sense...... Good luck on the next one.....
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